7bc
7bc
• Electronic mail, commonly shortened to “email,” is a communication method that uses electronic
devices to deliver messages across computer networks.
• "Email" refers to both the delivery system and individual messages that are sent and received.
• Email writing is an essential part of professional communication. The best email communication
is the one that is simple and clear.
• Modern forms of email became available for widespread public use with the development of
email client software (e.g. Outlook) and web browsers, the latter of which enables users to send
and receive messages over the Internet using web-based email clients (e.g. Gmail).
• Today, email is one of the most popular methods of digital communication.
• Most offices today commonly use computers and emails as a method of communication with
those within the organization and outside all over the world.
• It is effective, inexpensive, very fast, and needs less effort.
• Email messages can be sent to an individual or to a number of persons once.
• There are a few tips you have to keep in mind when you sit down to write emails.
• Emails can be casual or professional, just like informal and formal letters.
• The format of the email changes according to the kind of email you are writing.
• Accurate grammar and spelling are aspects that are to be taken seriously.
1|Page
Email etiquettes:-
• Make sure you type in the right email ID. Always check with the receiver for the exact email
address because even a full stop that is not part of the email address can land your email with
the wrong person, or the mail would simply bounce.
• The Subject line is the next most important factor you should carefully consider because that is
the first thing anyone receiving the email would see. It also determines if the receiver would
want to open the mail. ‘The from line is what recipients use to determine whether to delete an
email. The subject line is what motivates people to actually open the email.’ said Loren
McDonald. Spend double the time you spend on drafting the body to draft the subject.
• See to it that your Salutation or Greeting is appropriate to the receiver/s. The greeting builds a
rapport.
2|Page
• The Body of the email states what the email is about. Be clear with what you want your receiver
to know. Make sure you have everything you want to convey drafted in simple terms. Do not use
colloquial language or long unwinding sentences. Try not to repeat words or use cliched terms.
Make your message positive, even if you’re turning down an offer. If you have to follow, do it
before they remind you to. Keep it short. Use standard font style and size. Do a final
spelling/grammar check/proofread.
• Finally, Sign off the email on a polite note and proofread it before hitting send. The closing
should feel genuine; only then will the receiver want to respond.
3|Page
Email Writing Format Samples
Here are some sample emails that will help you understand how to write an email in the best possible
way.
5|Page
Email on Official Intimation of Your Resignation
6|Page
How to write an e- mail properly
Every email you write has the same basic structure: Subject line, greeting, email body, and closing. But
as with every written form of professional communication, there’s a right way to do it and standards that
should be followed.
Subject line
The subject line could be the most important part of the email, though it’s often overlooked in favour of
the email body. But if you’re cold-emailing someone, or just establishing a professional relationship,
your subject line can entice people to open the message as well as set expectations about what’s
enclosed. On the other hand, a poorly crafted or generic subject line (like “Hi” or “You don’t want to
miss this”) can deter the reader and result in your email landing in the spam folder.
• Introduction
• Body of the text
• Conclusion
❖ Introduction
Depending on the type of relationship you have with the person you’re writing to, there are different
ways of starting an email, but any email should always start with a greeting. In our specific case
being formal, the most appropriate options are:
7|Page
• I am writing in reference to…
If you’re writing an email to send information, you can start with one of the following sentences:
There are no conventional formulas for writing the body of the text because this varies according
to the function of what you need to communicate. It’s useful to prepare an initial draft and then
proceed with any corrections.
The general rules are that the text should be divided into short paragraphs that avoid abbreviations
and acronyms, both of which you can use, on the contrary, when you write an informal email to
family and friends.
Based on the type of message you’re sending, there are various ways to write a final invitation
before ending the email, such as:
8|Page
The most common way to end an email is:
• Best regards
• Kind regards
• Yours faithfully (if you began the email with ‘Dear Sir/Madam because you don’t know
the name of the recipient)
• Yours sincerely (if you began the email with ‘Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms + surname)
• Regards
• Respond promptly
• Activate an out-of-office reply
If you are not able to access your mailbox for more than a day, activate your out-of-office reply
and offer an alternate contact in the message.
• Use "Reply" instead of "Reply All"
It is considered a bad form to use "Reply All". Instead, use "Reply" to respond only to the
sender of the email and then make judicious use of the Cc or Bcc fields to add certain
individuals. Very rarely does everyone from the original email need to see your reply.
• Delete unnecessary sections of the original message
This reduces the overall size of the message as it travels back and forth through the mail
system.
• Read the message carefully and stay calm
Remember that tone is not always correctly conveyed in a written email. Ensure that you
haven't misunderstood the intent of the writer. When in doubt, pick up the phone and talk to
each other instead.
• Respond to all points/questions
Ensure that you have answered all questions posed or covered as many of the points from their
email as you can. If you are not able to answer one, don't just leave it out, state that you don't
have a response.
• Don't reply if you are not advancing the conversation
Answers such as "Me too", "Thanks" or "Ok" do not add to the conversation.
9|Page
• Don't change the subject line when replying
This makes it difficult to use conversation threads. If you want to change the topic, create a
new message.
• Don't alter what someone else wrote
When forwarding a message, by all means, add your own comments above the forwarded
message, but do not make any alterations to the original text.
• Don't send an angry email.
• Don't forward a message without first asking for permission
The author may not want you to send their message to anyone else.
• Don't reply to the whole mailing list.
Mailing lists often contain hundreds of email addresses. Reply only to the sender or to the
mailing list itself to prevent unnecessarily flooding people's mailboxes.
Watch this:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJRJRpenTk&t=238s
Activity:
1. Write an E-mail to your Head of the Department as the HR manager, requesting permission to conduct
a capacity development programme for the employees of the company.
2. Write an E-mail to your customer as the Branch manager of the bank, informing the in attractive
interest rates for deposits of the bank to encourage them to deposit money.
3. Write an E-mail to your Head of Academics at the University, requesting some more revision lectures
for important subject matters.
4. Write an E-mail to the Director of the National Museum, requesting permission to visit the museum
to collect some information for a research.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Anuradha Diyalagoda
Lecturer (Sri Lanka Teacher Educators’ Service)
Dip. in Teaching English, TKT, B.A (UOK), P.G.D.E. (OUSL), M.A in TESL (USJP), B.Ed in TESL (reading)
(Lincoln Uni.)
10 | P a g e